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BEHIND THE SCENES with JADEA KELLY

It’s Day 3 of Jadea Kelly Week, and the excitement continues! Be sure to check out her upcoming album release show at The High Watt presented by East of 8th, with Adam Agin and Natalie Schlabs providing opening support.

For most music lovers, the live performance is the ultimate connection to the art and its maker–but really, when you consider it, that flow of energy between the artist and the fans lasts about 40 minutes before the guitar cases close, the last of the concertgoers retreat to the their cars, and the band loads up the van. At East of 8th, we strive to go beyond that small window of interaction–to learn more about the music-makers we love, and share it with you, beloved readers, so that that connection can continue, even away from the stage.

Our new favorite indie folkstress, Jadea Kelly, is a woman of many talents; not only is she an extraordinary writer and performer, she has now added “visual artist” to her résumé. “My parents told me I needed to take up a hobby,” she says with a laugh. “I’d been wanting to try my hand at stained glass work for years, so they bought me a bunch of materials, and I became obsessed!” Kelly adds that she was definitely the youngest person in her class; “It wasn’t a great way to meet men, but It was a great way to take out my aggression!” she laughs. “It was magical.”

She actually used her new skill to completely fund the making of her new record, Love & Lust, set for release on April 21st. “People all over the world were ordering pieces from me,” she explains of the lamps, sun catchers, and ornaments she crafted from stained glass. Now, Kelly is even turning some of her old instruments into wall-hanging lamps. You can see her beautiful work on display on her Facebook page, as well as in the merchandise section of her website.